Top 5 Tech Predictions for 2018

Chatting to Siri, mining for Bitcoin and harnessing the potential of Big Data all became mainstream in 2017 and digital technologies are showing no signs of slowing down in 2018.

Here are my predictions on technologies that will explode in 2018 and some ideas on how business can integrate the following technologies to improve customer service and productivity….

Internet of Things (IoT) – Did you get a FitBit, video camera or digital video recorder for Christmas? Network supplier Cisco predicts there will be 50 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020. To put that in perspective, the average Australian household will have 24 devices connected online by 2019. IoT growth is expected to be massive in 2018 and Digit IT predicts we will see more business harness the power of this technology to improve customer value. For example, industries like healthcare are using the technology to connect with patients via wearable devices. Applications are only limited to your imagination, so the big question is how you could you use IoT in your business in 2018?

AI, robotics and virtual reality (VR) – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics have already moved from science fiction to reality. I predict these technologies will start to increase applications in the healthcare, transformation, logistics, customer service and home maintenance sectors. This interesting article in Entrepreneur (10 Artificial Intelligence Trends to Watch in 2018) highlights the impact of these technologies in a tangible sense for business. Examples discussed include:

Warehouses of the future will be built for highly capable robots, who work 24/7 and don’t need lighting

Voice-based smart-assistance will become integrated into computers, smartphones and televisions….a.k.a Siri and her friends will become a lot more useful.

Growth of a Digital Workplace – Video-conferencing will reshape the workforce and bridge the gap between distributed teams, vendors and customers and improve business productivity. Experts in the field predict video banking projects will move from pilot to full production status in 2018, with customers experiencing their first video chat with a banking agent. Likewise, tele-health applications will mature with developers integrating medical devices such as stethoscopes and exam cameras. Digit IT has provided a lot of businesses with advice in relation to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and BYOA (Bring Your Own App) guidelines and policies for staff and we expect this will increase, based on the exponential growth in devices and apps. Here are some questions to ponder if you have created a BYOD policy as yet:

What devices and apps are permitted at work? For example, are you happy for staff to bring an iPhone, iPad or FitBit to work?

How are these devices connected to your network? What steps have you taken to protect your corporate data?

Who owns the data? For example, who owns personal images stored on a company phone?

What level of service will be available for BYOD or BYOA? For example, what level of IT support will you offer staff for initial connections to your network from personally-owned devices

Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is now the norm in business computing and the desire to work from anywhere, at any time will increase the need for Cloud storage in 2018. According to CompTIA more than 90% of US companies are using some form of cloud computing and Digit IT predicts companies in the future will operate increasingly in a hybrid environment (a mix of private and public cloud), if they aren’t already. Staff want flexibility, and remote workers, in particular, need to have access to real-time data to be productive. In our own backyard, the opening of the Pulse Data Centre is good news for local businesses and will play an important role in ensuring the benefits of the innovation boom extend from city to country.

Cybersecurity Threats will Increase
The growth of remote workers and connected devices will see businesses face more cyber threats in 2018. Cyberattacks will become larger in scale, harder to mitigate and more frequent. As technology brings ever greater benefits, it also brings ever greater threats including:

Attack vectors such as botnets, autonomous cars and ransomware

Data manipulation, identity theft and cyberwarfare

Data sovereignty, digital trails and leveraging technology talent

As usual, please call Digit IT on 07 4637 9033 if you would like advice on how to maximise productivity and performance using digital technologies.